A Star Ocean Fairytale: Cinderella
by killer-fever
Summary: Like the title says. Rating might change. Albel/Cliff, Roger/Pepita, Maria/Fayt
1. Chapter 1

Star Ocean Fairytale Series:

Fairytale 1, Cinderella

By

Javarhino

"ALBEL!!!!!" A voice shouted.

Albel flinched and tightened his grip on the tray in his hands. He hated the person who owned the voice. He hated the person on the other side of the house, calling for their drink. A small box with skull and crossbones caught his eye. Rat poison. It'd be suitable for someone like Vox.

"ALBEL!!!!!" Two other voices chimed in.

He hated those voices as well. Stupid stepsisters. Stupid stepfather. He hated them all. That box was looking really good to put in the drinks. Albel shook his head and picked up the tray.

"Just stand for a little longer. That's what father would have wanted," he told himself.

Albel pushed the thought of his biological father away. He refused to feel anything for his death and damnit, Albel DID NOT cry.

Albel pushed the door to Vox's room open with his overly girly hips and saw Vox lying in bed. Albel's stepsisters were in the other room. Vox sighed as Albel came up and set the tray on the nightstand next to him.

"What took you so long, boy?" He asked.

"The water wouldn't boil fast enough," Albel answered coldly.

Vox's eyes narrowed. He grabbed Albel's chin and forced the boy to look him in the face. Albel flinched as he tightened his grip.

"Late one more time and I swear, Albel, you will get the beating of your life," Vox said, spitting out Albel's name like it was diseased.

He let Albel go and took his tea off the tray. Albel said nothing and left the room, walking to his stepsisters' room now. As soon as he opened the door he saw his twin stepsisters, Sophia and Ameena. They glared at him as he walked in. But when Sophia saw the newly forming bruise where Vox had grabbed him so roughly, she smiled wickedly and whispered to her sister. Ameena smiled as well. Albel completely ignored them and set the tray down giving each sister their tea.

"Hey, Albel," Sophia said.

Albel sighed.

"What is it?" He asked.

"This tea tastes burnt," Sophia replied.

Albel turned to her. He knew it wasn't burnt. He had a cup before he came up.

"Is that so?" He asked.

"Mine too!" Ameena chirped in.

Albel looked to her, but only for a second before looking back at Sophia.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked.

Sophia laughed.

"Of course go make some more, but, I want you to taste first, so you know how burnt it is," she said.

Albel sighed and reached for Sophia's cup. At that moment Sophia smashed her cup right into Albel's left eye. He didn't scream. He never screamed when they did things like this. But, this was the first time they hurt something that could cause a disability. Blazing hot tea seeped into his bleeding eye. He didn't even realize that he had fallen to the ground and stayed there.

"Get up you miserable fool," Ameena said.

Albel waited a few seconds before his stood and grabbed the tray, trying not to drop the side that had his blood covered hand. He left without saying a word. Once in the kitchen he put on some more water and sat down in a small chair in the corner of the room. Only then did he let himself cry. He didn't sob of course, no matter how much he wanted to. Just small sniffles every now and again and of course the shaking shoulders.

He remembered the time before he came to be in this position.

Ten Years Ago…

A fourteen year old Albel stood silently as his father recited his marriage vows with the new love of his life. Disturbingly with another man. Albel swore that would never happen to him when he got older. His father kissed his new partner in marriage and the crowd cheered. Albel didn't. They all headed to the reception. Once there his father announced that he had changed his will to leave everything to his partner.

Everyone at that moment turned their eyes onto Albel. Everyone knew that Glou Nox loved his son more than life itself and had left everything to him. Albel didn't say anything at all. He just sat where they put him. It seemed that Glou had a new love. A love Albel would hate forever. A man named Vox.

The day before Albel's birthday, Glou Nox died. A mysterious death, the coroner said. Everything was given to Vox like the will said. Albel was forced to live with Vox and his two daughters.

Life took a turn for the worse after that. When relatives stopped coming to tell Vox how sorry they were, Vox, Sophia, and Ameena changed heart fairly quickly. Vox took Glou's room while Ameena and Sophia took Albel's, leaving him a small section of the dank basement.

Albel soon turned into a slave when the other ones quit. Rules for him were set. He was never allowed to leave the house without one of his stepsisters or stepfather accompanying him. When outside he never talked or made eye contact with anyone. When at home he didn't talk back and did everything that needed to be done around the house. At night, he would make diner and go to his room for the night, never coming up until dawn to make breakfast.

For ten years it was like this. Albel was going to turn twenty-five soon. He knew it was too late to be saved. He would spend the rest of his life in this miserable Hell.

Albel looked around, keeping his left eye closed. He stood from his chair and walked over to the kitchen counter, seeing the long kitchen knife he used so many times to make the horrible people…no monsters their breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Albel picked it up and looked into his reflection in its blade. Blood ran down the left side of his face and was beginning to drip down his neck onto his shirt. Tears were running down the other side. He couldn't stand to look any longer and brought the knife to his neck. His hands trembled slightly as the blade pierced the skin causing a small trickle of blood to run down his neck.

"I'm sorry father," Albel whispered.

The tea pot whistled loudly causing Albel to jump and move the blade from his neck. His mind cleared and he realized that he was just about to commit suicide. He spat disgustingly at the thought of him, Albel Nox, son of Glou Nox would ever consider it.

He set the knife aside and took the pot of water off the stove, remaking the tea. Before he grabbed the tray he quickly wiped the blood off of his skin and quickly covered his eye, holding it was string. He would fix it better later. Albel picked the tray up and went back to Ameena and Sophia's room, pushing it open with his still overly girly hips.

Ameena and Sophia weren't in the room. Albel sighed and put the tray on the table between his stepsister's beds. He poured the cups just as his sisters came in. But, something was wrong. There were more footsteps then there should have been. Albel turned just in time to have his face connect with a fist. Albel fell to the ground, his purple skirt coming off of one of his legs. He looked to see Sophia, Ameena, and some man with big muscles and a really big kantana at his side.

"This is him Adray. This is the man who raped your daughter," Sophia said, pointing directly at Albel.

The man, now identified as Adray, looked at Albel with the most hate he had ever seen. He knew that he couldn't do anything to protest because this man wouldn't believe him. He was already brainwashed. Adray walked over and kicked Albel's stomach roughly. Albel coughed and gasped for air. This man was strong. Albel saw Ameena and Sophia behind Adray sipping their tea, smiling.

The door opened just as Adray was reaching for his sword. Vox stood in the doorway. He seemed rather surprised to see Adray in the room. He walked up without so much as glancing at Albel. Albel slowly raised himself to his feet so he wouldn't hurt himself even more. Without saying a word or listening to what these people were saying, he left the room and headed straight for his chair in the kitchen.

*

Roger rushed around the palace as fast as he could.

"Ah! The Queen is going to kill me if I don't find the Prince soon!" He said, continuing to run at high speeds.

As he turned a sharp corner he ran right into a servant. They both flew back with a sharp cry of pain. Roger rubbed his head while the servant rubbed her shoulder. Roger looked up to see a young girl he never noticed before.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to run into you like that," he said.

"It's okay, really. I should have watched where I was going," the young girl said.

Roger now couldn't help starring at the girl. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"I'm Peppita," the girl said, pulling Roger from his thoughts.

"I'm Roger," Roger answered.

Roger stood and held out his hand to help Peppita up. She gladly took it and hugged him.

"You're my new best friend, Roger!" She said.

Roger blushed deeply. Peppita kissed his forehead.

"I got to go, Roger. The Queen is going to hold another ball for the Prince. I need to help with the food. Bye!" She shouted, running down the hall, waving after him.

"Bye…," Roger nearly whispered.

Suddenly the Queen's angry fury rushed into his head like a ship going light speed. Roger raced like the bullet out of the barrel of a gun. If the Prince wasn't in the palace, there was only one other place he could be.

*

Cliff looked around the Elicoorian town with interest. This was a town he had yet to visit. It was called Airyglyph. It was this continents capital. The people here dressed somewhere near 16th century, Earth. Cliff was glad he always carried extra cloths with him to change into. He fit in under no time at all. Of course, his size gained a few looks but whatever. As far as they knew, he was Elicoorian.

Cliff visited a great deal of places in the city before deciding to stop at an Inn to maybe rest for the night. As he was heading over to the nearest Inn, something purple caught his attention, immediately. He looked over and saw a woman, or at least he thought it was a woman, standing with three other people. The woman kept her head down as the three people seemed to be discussing something.

Cliff couldn't believe his eyes. This woman was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Her hair was tied into rattails that went all the hay down to her thighs. A skirt hugged onto her hips in just the right place to show a curve on her stomach. A cut off top with no sleeves was fitting her upper body tightly. Cliff also took notice that her hair was double-toned. Black and blond.

Then, as 'she' turned, Cliff's entire idea of marrying this 'woman' was shattered. She wasn't a woman. It was a man. The most beautiful man that he had ever seen. Cliff couldn't help but stare at his face, most noticeably his eyes. They were red. The man turned his eyes to Cliff when he noticed someone was starring at him. Cliff was captured by this young man's gaze.

That was when Cliff saw that one of his eyes was covered with a ragged, dirty looking cloth, barely held by a string. Their gazes held eachother captured. One of the three people yelled at the man. His gaze broke from Cliff's and he began to walk away with the other people, looking over his shoulder until he was gone.

Cliff felt completely deprived once he could no longer see that man's gaze. He suddenly heard small feet running his way. He looked and saw that his mother's adviser was running towards him.

"Cliff! There you are!" He shouted.

"Hello, Roger. Can you give me a day? I just want to spend the night and get a name," Cliff said, still looking in the direction that man went.

Roger huffed.

"Cliff! We have a ball to prepare for! Let's go!" He shouted.

"Not another one!" Cliff exclaimed.

Cliff sighed and decided to go and have a talk with his mother about this. He left with Roger, going into an alleyway and being teleported into his parent's ship, the Diplo.

*


	2. Chapter 2

Star Ocean Fairytale Series:

Fairytale 1, Cinderella

By

killerfever

The Diplo was a large ship and honestly, Cliff couldn't stand it. He hated being the son of King Fayt and Queen Maria. It was terrible. There were a lot of assassination attempts as well. Not good for a growing boy...or a full grown man.

"Seriously? Another ball?" Cliff asked.

"Yes. The king and the queen would both like it if you found a bride so they don't have to worry about you ruling the skies alone," Roger replied as he told the driver where to take them.

"But, this is the sixth one this month," Cliff complained.

Roger looked up at him, craning his neck.

"They're really trying to get you to find someone. Preferably, Mirage,"he said.

"But, I don't like Mirage!" Cliff exclaimed.

"Yes, but, she is the most suitable of the girls that will be there. I think your parents will be very happy if you choose her," Roger said.

Cliff sighed and sat in a nearby chair, running his fingers through his hair.

"But, I only like her as a friend. There's no way that we could be..."Cliff trailed off, unable to even utter the word.

"Marriage?" Roger asked.

"Yeah, that," Cliff replied, throwing up a hand in emphasis.

Roger sighed and climbed into a seat as well. He stared out the window, watching the stars go by. For some reason he couldn't help but think of the servant girl he bumped into in the hallway. Peppita. What was so interesting about her that left Roger almost breathless? Roger shook his head. He couldn't be thinking about something like this at the moment. He needed to fulfill his duty and teach the prince his place. And it certainly wasn't in the planets that the man escaped to in his spare time.

"Cliff, you should change. We'll be getting to Klaus III soon. You don't want your parents to find out that you've been traveling to other planets again. They might ground you," Roger said nodding to one of the Diplo crew members who quickly went off to get the prince a change of clothes.

Cliff sighed. He liked to dress differently than he usually did. Being on other planets allowed him to be free of his title. On other planets, no one knew him. No one cared that they were in his presence. And, certainly, no one wanted to marry him for his money. There was that man as well. That beautiful man that he locked gazes with. That man was beautiful. Cliff really wished he was able to get his name before Roger came. He slipped out of his clothes and was quick to put on his regular ones. Roger led him outside and into the castle courtyard where the ship had landed. The gravity hit Cliff immediately and he almost stumbled. Almost.

"See, being on other planets is messing with your balance," Roger said.

"Is not," Cliff argued.

They didn't say anything else and walked on. The palace was large. About sixteen times larger than the Diplo. It was mostly blue because that was King Fayt and Queen Maria's favorite color. Some parts were red because that was Cliff's favorite color. It took a total of thirty minutes to reach the large double doors leading into the throne room where Fayt and Maria were most definitely waiting. Cliff sighed.

"Can I turn and run now?" He asked, not looking down.

"If you do, I'll have all the guards shoot your legs until you can't use them again," Roger replied, not looking up.

Cliff sighed again before grasping the door knobs and swinging the doors open. Light immediately shined into Cliff's eyes. He had to squint and walked into the room. The light softened and Cliff could stop squinting. He looked to the end of the large room and saw the two chairs that were inhabited by his mother and his father. They were both dressed very well and seemed as casual as possible while wearing satin and silk. Cliff walked he fifty feet that was necessary to get to his parents. They looked to him as he approached. Fayt smiled and waved while Maria's lips were set in a firm frown. A look that certainly did not suit her. Cliff scratched his head.

"Greetings, mother. Father," he said.

"Good morning, Cliff. How wa-" Fayt was cut off.

"Where have you been?" Maria interrupted.

Cliff visibly flinched.

"I was just-"

"Fooling around on other planets where you don't belong?" Maria's voice cut in.

Cliff flinched again. He loved his mother. He really did, but it was at times like this that she really got nasty. He hated this side. Apparently from the way Fayt was leaning away from her, he didn't either. Cliff couldn't lie, so, before he could utter a word in defense the truth slipped.

"I went to another planet. But, I-" Cut.

"How many times have we told you not to?" Maria shouted, raising from her seat.

Cliff said nothing. It was better to keep quiet in situations like this. His mother ranted and raved about how he was going to pay for disobeying her again. Cliff tried hard to listen but frankly, his mother was boring when she yelled. Fayt sighed and sank into his chair, rubbing his temples gingerly. Finally after a good fifteen minutes, he stood and took Maria by the shoulders.

"Maria. I think we should lay off a little on how strict we're being," Fayt said.

Maria looked at him, death in her eyes and fire in her breath.

"Too strict?!" She shouted.

Fayt immediately let go and backed up a step.

"I think we're not being strict enough!" Maria exclaimed.

Fayt stayed silent. She turned to Cliff, expecting him to say something. He didn't. So, she continued.

"Cliff, you are grounded from using any ships to go anywhere! You will stay in your roomuntil the ball in three days. It will give you time to stop being picky and choose someone," Maris stated.

"Actually, mother. I was woder-"

"No. You do not wonder, you obey. Go to your room," Maria said, voice firm.

Cliff sighed and was about to speak up again when he saw the guards out of his peripheral vision. The guards grabbed his arms and led him all the way to the east wing and, not so gently I may add, threw him in his room. The door locked a second after it was slammed. Cliff sighed and made his way over to the window. Looking out he saw the garden. The sweet smell of the flowers wafted into his nose. Another sigh. He knew the next three days were going to be Hell.

*

After leaving the room, Albel made his way to the chair in the kitchen. He sat there for what seemed like forever. After a time though, he was able to compose himself and walk around. He decided that the damage to his eye needed better care. He went to the large bathroom that his sisters used and looked at himself in the mirror. He honestly, looked like a mess. His hair was matted and dried blood was getting caked to his neck. He quickly worked to clean the blood. After that task had been complete, he slowly removed the cloth on his eye. It was soaked in blood. Albel gingerly dabbed at it to remove the excess blood. That was done for a full five minutes. Albel tried to open that eye but found he couldn't. He assumed he was blind in that eye now. Looking around he found another dirty rag he could use. He wouldn't dare use one of his stepsisters' old cloths. He fastened the cloth to his eye with the same string he used before but tighter so there was no risk of it falling off. He decided as well he needed to change.

Albel traveled to the basement. The wooden steps creaked as he stepped on them. He wouldn't be surprised at all if one of the steps broke under his feet. He stepped onto the stone floor and walked over to a rotting wooden door that led to his room. Upon opening the door, the hinges broke and it fell. Albel sighed and decided he would pick it up later. He walked over to his bed, which in reality was just a pile of rotting hay. Next to his bed was a small pile of clothes. It was cold so Albel changed quickly. Now, he was dressed in his most common outfit. A purple skirt and cut off shirt. A 'gift' from his stepsisters. It was really just a tool of humiliation when they traveled in public. It was a great dishonor for a man like Albel to dress as a woman so he got a lot of teasing when taken out.

He fixed the skirt just a little so it showed off less leg. He heard the door to the basement open.

"Useless! Get your shoes, we're going out!" He heard Ameena shout.

"I'll be there!" Albel shouted back.

He looked around and found his boots. Thigh-highs. Another 'gift'. He pulled them on and went upstairs where the other three were waiting. He assumed that Adray was gone. Vox didn't look happy. Neither did Ameena and Sophia. Albel didn't care.

"We're going to be heading into town. Be presentable. Remember, don't speak," Vox said.

Albel just nodded. He followed behind, keeping his head down. They reached town in less than ten minutes. Ameena and Sophia complained the whole times about needing to walk so much. Vox said nothing. Albel wasn't allowed to complain even if he wanted too. Town was busy. People were all over, looking at shops, trying to get to destinations, pushing, shoving. Albel hated being around so many people. Before he knew it, a rock was thrown at his head. Direct contact. He hissed in pain and saw that it was a group of three boys.

"Men shouldn't wear woman's clothes!" One boy shouted.

Another rock made contact to his forehead. Vox, Ameena, and Sophia pretended not to notice. Albel glared, said nothing, and kept walked, rocks hitting his back, making sure there would be bruises later. Vox stopped at one store. Ameena and Sophia immediately ran to find something. Vox looked at Albel and when he was satisfied that he wouldn't leave, he began to look at the selection as well. Albel sighed and looked at an object. It was a small wooden figurine of a dancing woman. Her skirt flowed, he arms raised above her head, eyes closed, a smile forever carved onto her face. Albel looked away and stared at the dirt on the ground.

A strange sensation took over him. It was weird. He felt warmth spreading all along his back. He knew the feeling. He was being watched. He turned and saw who it was that was watching him. A man. Blond hair and blue eyes. He was dressed like any other peasant but...

There was something about that man that wasn't normal. There was a certain air to him that said nothing of peasant. He must be a lord or soemthing like that. Then, their eyes locked. Albel's mouth fell open a little. He never felt anything like this before. His knees were weak. He had a hard time breathing and he felt warmth spread to his cheeks. This man. Who was he?

"Albel!" Vox shouted.

Albel turned his attention to him. They were leaving. Albel followed after and couldn't help but glance back, staaring at the man until his view was cut off. He turned back to the ground and shook his head, trying to calm his racing heart. What was wrong with him? All that man had done was look at him and he was reduced to this. How did that happen? All kinds of questions raced through Albel's mind. When he got home he made dinner and went to his room. He let out his hair and slipped off his boots. As he layed dow, only one thought crossed him mind.

What was his name?


End file.
